Google Photos Backup Keeps Collecting Until You Make It StopJuly 15, 2015
Uninstalling Google's Photos app doesn't turn off backup sync, meaning photos taken with Android devices could be saved to the company's cloud storage, even if the user doesn't intend to store them there, Google acknowledged on Tuesday. The issue came to light last week, when a BizJournals editor reported finding hundreds of family photos he had deleted from his phone stored in Google Photos.

Report: Android Wear Smartwatches to Get TogetherJuly 14, 2015
It's rumored that the next version of Android Wear, reportedly scheduled for release in August, will bring tap gestures and watch-to-watch communications. The update initially was scheduled for launch on July 28th. "For now, these features simply bring parity between Android Wear and watchOS," said IDC analyst Jitesh Ubrani, but neither platform "offers a compelling use case" as yet.

Apple Scarfs Up Nearly All the Smartphone ProfitsJuly 14, 2015
While Android smartphones have captured nearly 80 percent of the worldwide market, Apple has an overwhelming lead where it counts most: profits. Ninety-two percent of worldwide profits from smartphones go to Apple, according to Cannacord Genuity. Samsung is a distant second with 15 percent. Since Apple started peddling smartphones eight years ago, its profit picture has brightened continuously.

Apple Gives Fans a Taste of New OSesJuly 10, 2015
Apple on Thursday released to consumers a preview of the latest versions of its mobile and desktop operating systems -- iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan -- which contain a number of new features, including a revamped two-factor authentication scheme. The latest release of iOS also contains two new smart folders. One collects selfies, and the other aggregates screen shots.

Microsoft Cuts 7,800 as It Rethinks 'Mobile First' StrategyJuly 8, 2015
CEO Satya Nadella has announced that Microsoft will reduce its workforce by 7,800 as it refines its mobile message and strategy. The company will write down roughly $7.6 billion associated with assets tied to the acquisition of Nokia's devices and services business, Nadella revealed. The restructuring of its own mobile handset division will cost somewhere between $750 million and $850 million.

Apple Watch Sales SinkJuly 8, 2015
After a glorious first week of sales following its introduction in April, sales have slid rapidly for the Apple Watch, according to Slice Intelligence. Sales have plummeted to fewer than 20,000 units a day, down from an average of 200,000 a day during its launch week, when it sold 1.5 million units, reported Slice, which measures online purchasing activity through an app used by consumers.

New Android Malware Sprouting Like WeedsJuly 1, 2015
Information stored on an Android smartphone or tablet is vulnerable to almost 4,900 new malware files each day, according to a report G Data SecurityLabs released Wednesday. Cybercriminals' interest in the Android operating system has grown, the firm's Q1 2015 Mobile Malware Report revealed. The number of new malware samples in the first quarter increased 6.4 percent.

5 Things the Apple App Store Could Do BetterJuly 1, 2015
I haven't been thrilled with app discovery on the App Store for years, and while Apple has been tweaking things to make it better, it's pretty easy to enter the iOS App Store, look around, and come to the conclusion that only an infinitesimal fraction of 1.5 million apps must be worthy of showing off -- and unfortunately, Disney's "Palace Pets in Whisker Haven" is one of them.

The Encryption Software ScuffleJune 29, 2015
In the face of encryption that could block brute force attempts for years, law enforcement agencies at every level have been calling for keys that allow investigators to crack open smartphones and court cases alike. Some of the world's leading tech companies and privacy advocates have called for the White House to stand against any proposal to weaken the security software on consumer products.

The Automobile as We Know It Is DeadJune 29, 2015
There's a massive number of efforts going on to kill the car as we know it. Among them are efforts to make it a tiny self-driving box that we'd likely be embarrassed to be seen in, efforts to make it highly customized and amazing, and efforts to change its fuel from gasoline to CNG, electricity or something else. There is no doubt that the car as we know it soon will be dead.

Gadget Ogling: Vertical Vinyl, Kid-Friendly Video Chats, and a Smart Pool MonitorJune 27, 2015
I enjoy music as much as anyone, though I'm no real audiophile and I have not an enormous passion for one format over another. I admire the romance of vinyl but find it unwieldy and cumbersome when digital recordings work just fine for me. The Floating Record turntable is beautiful, though, and I'm almost tempted to race to my record store to stock up on vinyl to play on one of these.

IBM, Box Team Up to Conquer the CloudJune 26, 2015
IBM and Box have entered a global partnership to combine the two companies' best-in-class technologies and resources to transform work in the cloud. The two will offer customers IBM analytics and social solutions, IBM security technologies, the IBM cloud, and Box's cloud content collaboration platform. "IBM provides Box with a global go-to market footprint," said IDC's Chris Chute.

Red Hat, Samsung Ramp Up Enterprise MobilityJune 24, 2015
Red Hat and Samsung Business Services on Tuesday announced a strategic alliance to deliver the next generation of mobile solutions for the enterprise. The alliance, announced at the Red Hat Summit 2015, combines the strengths of each company -- Samsung's mobile device portfolio and Red Hat's open source middleware, mobile and cloud technologies.

Rumors Tell the Apple Watch StoryJune 22, 2015
Apple hasn't been saying much, as usual -- but insiders and analysts are fitting together pieces of the Apple Watch puzzle through sales estimates, revelations about the vast gulf separating production costs from final prices, and expected features of the next version.
CEO Tim Cook recently said the company was off to an "exciting start to the June quarter with the launch of Apple Watch."

Gadget Ogling: Wrist-Saving Keyboards, Resource-Saving Smartphones and New Angles on RealityJune 20, 2015
Here to save all our wrists -- or at least those of the populace with a spare $299 to spend on a computer accessory -- is a lovely, wood-finished keyboard called "Keyboardio Model 01." Taking its cue from a long history of ergonomic keyboards, the device splits an atypical keyboard in two, dedicating half the keys to each of your hands, and it's set in a gorgeous maple wood construction.

DxO One Bridges iPhone-DSLR Camera DivideJune 19, 2015
DxO on Thursday announced a new compact camera designed to allow iPhones and iPads to capture higher-quality digital images. The DxO One is the first digital camera that plugs into the Lightning connector found on Apple devices and that uses their Retina display as a viewfinder. The DxO One isn't designed to replace either DSLRs or the iPhone's camera, said DxO SVP Kirk Paulsen.

Uber Loses Crucial California Legal BattleJune 18, 2015
Uber on Tuesday filed an appeal of a California Labor Commission ruling that is widely viewed as a threat to the company's business model. The ruling resulted from a claim filed by a San Francisco driver against Uber last year. The commission found that the plaintiff was an employee of Uber rather than an independent contractor, as the company had maintained.

Routers Becoming Juicy Targets for HackersJune 18, 2015
Most consumers pay as much attention to routers as they do to doorknobs. That's not the case with Net marauders. They're finding the devices ripe targets for mischief. "We've seen a big increase in malware designed for home routers," said Incapsula researcher Ofer Gayer. "Every week, we see a new vulnerability in a vendor's routers," he said. "They're low-hanging fruit if you're a hacker."

Swiftkey Security Slipup Exposes Samsung SmartphonesJune 17, 2015
At least 600 million Samsung smartphones are vulnerable to remote attacks because of the way the company implemented the SwiftKey keyboard, NowSecure researcher Ryan Welton warned Tuesday. A phone can be attacked if it's connected to a compromised or malicious WiFi network and the SwiftKey app is updating existing languages or adding a new language pack.

Amazon May Try Out Delivery-SharingJune 17, 2015
Amazon reportedly is developing a mobile app that will be the cornerstone of an Uber-type service for neighborhood package delivery. Under the scheme, the app would allow Amazon to compensate people to deliver packages in lieu of using a commercial carrier. People would pick up packages at Amazon's partnering brick-and-mortar stores, and make deliveries on their way to another destination.

Can Android Give BlackBerry New Life?June 16, 2015
BlackBerry could be considering equipping an upcoming smartphone with Google's Android operating system, Reuters reported last week. The move would be consistent with BlackBerry's strategy to focus on software and device management instead of handsets. Such a pivot would take the company away from its current strategy to regain lost market share with a new generation of BlackBerry smartphones.

San Jose to Dabble With Smart City TechJune 16, 2015
The city of San Jose, California, recently decided to undertake an Internet of Things pilot project. Under a deal finalized last month, anyCOMM, will deploy WiFi sensors on 166 streetlights, to collect data on traffic, sense movement on the streets, turn off streetlights when sidewalks and roads are empty, detect ground shifts and send earthquake warnings, and act as WiFi hotspots.

Apple's Safari Declares Open Season on Mobile AdsJune 16, 2015
Apple is sending a shiver down the spine of anyone who depends on mobile advertising for a living with the inclusion of ad-blocking extensions for iOS 9 in the next version of its Safari browser. The news surfaced last week, after developers discovered the provision in documentation following iOS 9's introduction at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference.

Gadget Ogling: A Speaker-Stuffed Tablet Case, a Soothing Wearable, and Earbuds for the Real WorldJune 9, 2015
Asus' new ZenPad 8.0 aims to end the scourge of tablets with terrible sound. Its interchangeable cover design gives users several functional options. One is the Audio Cover, which bumps up sound quality by tucking a 5.1 surround-sound system inside. Its six speakers, including a subwoofer, promise to significantly improve the tablet experience of watching video and listening to music.